


The Lonelier Night

by adam_anellaer



Series: Snowfalls on the Rainforest [6]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Blizzards & Snowstorms, Childhood Memories, Christmas Eve, F/M, Feelings, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 01:10:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3362189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adam_anellaer/pseuds/adam_anellaer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christmas has always been a hard time for Jack, as it only reminded the Winter Spirit of his own loneliness. But due to the events of the year, a flicker of hope has lightened the boy's heart. What he didn't know, was that Guardians can get pretty lonely too. The problem is, our Toothie comes to the same conclusion. What happens when both of them decide to pay the other a visit?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

I

He could hear the chorus echoing in the frigid air, and smell the aroma of cinnamon in every kind of food. The enlightened streets breathed magic, enhanced by the ringing of bells and the giggling of children.

Oh yes, Christmas was a time of happiness and cheer!

Well, at least for most people. For a lonely spirit, it was just a reminder of the miserability of his life.

Instead of warming is frozen heart, those lights, scents and sounds would only reopen the hole that existed inside him, which he always tried to cover with his playful and carefree attitude.

He tried to find comfort in the happiness of the children. But then the night would come, and families would go inside, sit around the table and enjoy the bliss of each other’s presence… That was simply unbearable for him.

He would just fly away, trying to restrain the tears in his eyes, and ignore the weight in his heart, anger and frustration pulsing in his veins.

And then he would spend the night alone, curled up in some quiet place, not before he had frozen something or created a blizzard somewhere near, not even once daring to look at the sky, wouldn’t he get a glimpse of a certain stealthy sleigh and hate Christmas even more.

That was what Christmas has always meant to him, from what he could remember.

So it was understandable that he was a little anxious with what might happen this special year. 

Jack kept convincing himself that he didn’t care. He was not very hopeful. Because, after all, who could assure him things would be different this time.

And there is no way he would form up expectations and then get them smashed again, as it has happened for 300 years.

But there was a tiny light, shinning in the back of his mind, just hoping, wishing with all his strengths that he wouldn’t pass another holy night alone.

So, the forever boy decided to go talking with a certain Aussie, wanting to know what to expect.

He wasn’t surprised to find Bunny in his burrow, surrounded by his never ending spring, planting some kind of magical flowers.

\- It’s just Christmas, mate. – he simply huffed, still crouched on the grass, doing his gardening. - No big deal.

The six foot tall tried to hide the grumpiness in his voice, pretending that the subject was blank of any kind of relevance to him.

Jack just rolled his eyes.

\- Yeah, but, do you usually _do_ something different, like a meeting or something? – the boy continued eagerly, the anticipation almost making him fall of the branch he was sitting on.

\- I don’t see why Christmas involves a meeting and Easter doesn’t…

\- Bunny!

\- Ok, mate! Yeah, sometimes North organizes a dinner, some day between Christmas and New Year. But it doesn’t always happen. We’re not party all the time; there are more important things to do, ya know. I think the last was in ’97… Can’t remember.

Jack frowned, his voice low as he spoke:

\- It means you spend Christmas all by yourself?

Bunny finally got up, facing the expectant Winter Spirit. The six foot tall rabbit sighed, and after a moment thinking of how to explain it, he talked as calmly as he could.

\- Mate, when you’re immortal, days and years pass by, and you don’t give them much importance. We work for 365 days until we get our mission accomplished, and then we start that all over again, for many centuries now. We are pretty much by ourselves all the time! – Bunny said, with a sad smile.

Jack blinked, thinking about those words for a second.

His fantasies had been completely shattered. He had been rather egocentric, thinking for all these time that the Guardians would always be together, celebrating their own existence.

He didn’t know why on the Moon he thought that. Maybe he was just jealous of them.

Either way, he felt awful.

\- Hey, don’t worry, mate! – Bunny exclaimed, seeing his heartbreaking face. – We all love our jobs, and we couldn’t be more grateful for doing them! – he continued, messing the boy’s snowy white hair.

\- Ok, cottontail! Now get off! – Jack chuckled, backing away.

\- Either way, – he shouted, as he flew away from the lair. - Merry Christmas!

\- Yeah, yeah! Merry Christmas! – the aussie answered, seeing the boy disappear towards the surface.

He continued planting, but not before he had mumbled to himself, with an honest smile:

\- I truly hope so, Frostbite…

...

..

.

\- Oh, look girls! Tomorrow it’s Christmas! – the hyperactive hummingbird part of her cried, receiving an happy squeal from all her fairies.

She did a leap in the air.

It was a truly magical season. North always did a great job, and Tooth admired him for that.

This time of year was one of the best childhood memories for most people.

Sometimes, when she was alone on Christmas Eve, she would go and take a peek at some children's memories, just to feel the happiness and wonder with which they filled their world, in this season.

Tooth sighed, landing slowly on her knees.

_Yeah, alone on Christmas Eve…_

Well, of course she had her minifairies, but, considering they were parts of her, it was like being with herself. They wouldn’t say nothing new, or do something unexpected.

Well, North was out of question.

Bunny wouldn’t want to even hear anything Christmas-related.

And Sandy, well, who knows where Sandy is. Either way, as much as a good listener and a wise adviser her long date friend might be, he’s not the kind of company Tooth needs right know.

She sighed again. That leads to the obvious choice.

Tooth had got so embarrassed when she woke up nestled up against a certain Winter Spirit, months earlier. She was extremely exhausted because of that stupid bet, and she wasn’t lucid enough to measure her actions.

_The first thing she felt was the scent of forest surrounding her. But it wasn’t the humid aroma of the tropical forest, the one she was so accustomed to._

_No, her nostrils were filled with the fresh fragrance of wood and resin._

_When she opened her eyes, the only thing she saw was a deep blue. She was scared for a second, but then, something particularly familiar in that hue comforted her. She peacefully inbreathed that fresh sent one more time, and nestled a little more into the azure pillow._

_But then her brain added two and two._

_Suddenly, and now completely awake, the realization made her violet orbs open wide, and she slowly looked up._

_His serene sleeping face was almost angelic, under the moonshine above them. He looked like a boy again, the face relaxed with the innocence of a quiet dream. His bluish lips were slightly open, breathing softly. She came aware of the arm that embraced her, protecting her petite form against his cool body._

_She could hear her birdlike heart pounding fast, and below that, a much quieter and slower heartbeat. Steady and low._

_She allowed herself a moment. A brief moment, frozen in time, so she could just appreciate his sleeping features under the moonlight. Just a moment, before she flushed bright pink in embarrassment and he would apologize himself and fly away._

_A moment only, and she smiled, lifting her head slightly to get a better look._

_But then, she heard a deep intake of breathe, and felt his chest full itself with air. Her eyes widened with worry, but it was too late. When she looked at his face again, deep celestial irises were staring at her. She felt her cheeks warming up, and for the first time in a really long time, Toothiana didn’t know what to say._

And that was a long time ago...

She hadn’t had the courage to talk to him ever since. She simply couldn’t do it. How was she going to look at his face a talk properly without being overwhelmed by such an incapacitating feeling, as her embarrassment was?

She rested both her hands in her lap, flexing her fingers nervously, biting her lower lip.

But it was Christmas after all, and Jack was probably even more alone than her. She couldn’t fail him now! Not after 300 years of failure…

_Stop being a selfish coward! Jack was sweet and helpful, and this is the way you thank him? Stopping contact for months? And in Christmas! Oh, Tooth, you should be ashamed of yourself! This is not proper Tooth Fairy behavior!_

She filled her lungs with air, the smell of rain perfuming the breeze. With a strong wing-beat, the fairy flew away from the rainy forest, into the upper atmospheres, leaving her helpful helpers, with a single mental note:

“It’s Christmas, girls! And I just hope a Christmas miracle is about to happen tonight!”

Because now, so she could find the illusive Winter Spirit, a miracle was everything she needed.

...

..

.

His staff cut softly through the air, like a gentle caress, making the soft clouds relieve their cargo. As the Winter Spirit, he just wanted to assure a white Christmas to all who could experience it.

Jack sighed deeply, his breath merging with the wind that flew with him.

His body felt numb, not thanks to any external factor, but only because his own mind was absent and unaware, lost in deep thoughts and leveling the emotions that ran in his heart.

Although his anger was rather calmed down, practically inexistent comparing to the years before, he still felt that known hollow in his chest. He was now aware that both his ire and fury were a mere shallow mask of the huge sadness that dwelt bellow.

And even though he had long ago forgiven the Guardians for something they had never done, the boy could now see that the odium was just a way to escape the true depression of his own loneliness…

He exhaled, and the fact that the breath came out slightly broken, surprised him.

Becoming conscious of the reason of his eternal inter-rage, was at the same time a big relief and extremely saddening.

The truth is indeed liberating, but at the same time, it is something very difficult to deal with.

Now that he had released himself from that old burden, he only needed to let everything get out, and become truly free, once and for all.

And in that moment, he didn’t know why, but five perfect icy crystals fell towards the ground below, born in his watery eyes.

Of course his ego had to quickly kick in, bringing his pride close behind. His hand rapidly flew to his face, wiping his tears. Because, after all, back in that time, he didn’t understood that hold everything inside was far worse than crying…

And in his ignorance, his mind was ashamed.

He had no reasonable motives for doing such a stupid thing, like crying was: he was not invisible anymore, he was believed in, and he had the Guardians.

There was more hope this night than it has ever been in those 300 years.

So, why was he crying? Or why was he allowing himself to cry?

Probably because he still needed to let go loads of sorrow. Or maybe the reason was that after all that happened in that year, he was still alone on Christmas Eve.

Suddenly, awakening him from his melancholic thoughts, his earlier talk with Bunny twinkled in his mind:

“We are pretty much by ourselves all the time.”

And, almost instinctively, a pallet of blue, green and golden hues flourished in his head.

He didn’t understand where that had come from, let alone why, but he could not be less worried about it at the moment!

He just knew that his heart became simultaneously a little heavier, just for thinking that the kind-hearted fairy might be feeling as lonely as he felt, and greatly lighter, as the idea of ending that solitude came to his mind.

He immediately stopped in his tracks, not that he was going anyway either. Gasping, as an idea popped in his head.

\- A white Christmas… - he mumbled under his breath.

Jack turned east, towards the dim light of a sun hidden behind the curvature of the Earth. With his heart beating faster in his chest, and an amused laugh just leaving his lips, the wind pushed him forward, heading to the far horizon.

...

..

.

Her translucent wings fluttered quickly, being nothing more than a vague pink blur. They carried her light body easily, cutting through the wintry December air. 

Even with her fast metabolism, and consequent high body temperature, she wasn’t aware of her face anymore, and her hands felt numb. She tried to hide them underneath her cozy plumage, in a desperate attempt to warm them up.

She was almost there, in the place she would first look for Jack.

His home: Burgess.

Her perfect orientation skills lead her to the pound with the surrounding dark forest, where she guessed he might be.

Toothiana flew closer to the ground, her humming wings making a deafening noise in the quietness of the night.

Except for her, not a single sound could be heard.

She softly touched the snow. _Brrr, so cold!_ Her sensitive feet couldn’t handle it!

But she really was tempted to land, feeling as if her wings beat might attract too much attention. Or unwanted one…

 _Stop that, you silly coward! Don’t be so skittish!_ , she scolded herself.

But at the same time, she couldn’t help but notice that the forest felt the exact opposite of what a Christmas night should be: happy, warm and full of live and love.

Instead it was cold and empty, just dark and alone.

\- It looks like the Christmas lights don’t reach here… - she quietly whispered.

And thinking that Jack might have spent all his Christmas nights alone in this lonely place, made her heart ache. And the fairy abruptly remembered why she had come here in the first place.

She searched for him, calling his name to the wind, but there was no answer.

She examined the forest, the dark trees covered in white. She looked behind rocks, and inside burrows, and in the branches and in the night. But there was nothing.

Toothiana despairingly gazed the crescent moon.

Suddenly, her feathers fluffed up, when an idea stroke her.

So the colorful Guardian speeded towards the lights of the illuminated town, heading for a specific house of a certain boy, which would probably be the only comfort of a lonely spirit in this holy night.

...

..

.

He peeked through one slightly open eye, seeing the darkened room around him, the shadows of soft snow cascading over his bed and floor. The expectation rose in his petit pounding heart.

This was the most wonderful night of the year and he was eager to get a glimpse of the illusive jolly character. Maybe he would stop at his house just to pay him a special visit!

Jamie was hoping so, wishing that the events that followed last Easter would make him special in some kind of way. It was a stupid thought, but one he couldn’t avoid his fertile mind from formulating.

And if Santa was too busy to stop for a little chat, maybe Jack would.

He had been expecting to see the Winter Spirit in a long time. When he didn’t visited him the months that followed, the boy thought it was because of the temperature and quickly forgot about it, enjoying the summer with his friends and family. When autumn settled, he could hardly wait for the first blizzards to come.

And then Jamie woke up one morning, and there was a thin layer of snow in the ground. He played all day long and when the night came, he hoped to find the hellion peeking on the other side of the frozen glass. But if he came, he was already asleep. All there was left in the morning were beautiful patterns of ice in his bedroom window.

The boy knew he have been there, that was obvious, but he couldn’t understand why didn’t Jack stop to talk to him. Maybe he was too busy now, being part of the Guardians and all…

While lost in his thoughts, the brunette didn’t notice his eyelids starting to close and that the room became even darker. But suddenly, his groggy eyes caught a figure quickly crossing his window, projecting its shadow in his warm sheets.

Jamie grew wide awake, mouth slightly open, his teething now complete again.

He then got up, and ran towards the window, opening it quietly so his parents wouldn’t know he was still up.

He peeked through it, trying to see over the heavy snowfall.

The street was quiet, snow covering everything in its touch, and lights brightening everything in their reach. It surely looked like Christmas, but the young boy couldn’t stop himself from wondering which of the Guardians he had seen. Maybe it was Santa, or Jack!

But whoever it was, it looked like they had already gone away…

Jamie stayed there, at the window sill, soft snowflakes entering his room.

He decided to call, just to be sure… because… they couldn’t just pass by, could they?

\- Is someone there? – he whispered to the night. No answer. His eyes fell to the parapet. – Maybe they really did just pass by…

The boy was about to sadly return to his bed, when suddenly he noticed the humming sound sublimely in the air.

The boy looked up right away, only to see an iridescent fairy, the original one, hovering in front of him, with a tender smile on her face. With the lights behind her, and given the circumstances, she was almost similar to a Christmas angel.

\- The Tooth Fairy! – he exclaimed, but covered his mouth right away, looking behind him, to the bedroom door, the narrow strip of light from the corridor entering the room through the slit under the entrance.

He then turned back to the fairy with a huge smile on his face, and with a quiet giggle, the Tooth Fairy answered:

\- Hello, Jamie.

...

..

.

\- So, are you sure you don’t know where she is?

\- Tchiicht, tiich!!

\- Yeah, yeah, I know Baby Tooth, but I thought one of you might know something. She couldn’t just disappear! It’s Christmas after all, where would she go!

The minifairy chirped angrily again, answering the Guardian of Fun for the millionth time, that she had no idea where the Tooth Fairy was.

She was worried too in the beginning:

There she was, doing her duties, when suddenly her queen’s voice was heard inside her head.

“It’s Christmas, girls! And I just hope a Christmas miracle is about to happen tonight!”

She didn’t know what Toothiana had meant with those words, but before any of them could go after her, she was long gone. Baby Tooth was about to follow, but her and her sisters agreed that if she was leaving without further explanations, she needed to have a very good reason! So they let her be, and took care of the Teeth Collecting themselves.

And now, here was their newest and beloved Guardian, asking for the Queen’s presence as well!

Baby Tooth was truthfully sorry for disappointing him.

Of course she would have loved to get a glimpse of those pearly whites’ of him, displayed in a grateful smile. But that was only one of the reasons.

Maybe, the most important of them all, was because they all knew that good warm feeling they got in their little pounding hearts every time their Queen was happy. And it seemed that in the presence of a certain jovial spirit, the feeling, very curiously, grew exponentially.

So, they were simply pleased to have him near for several valid reasons.

But it looked like she wasn’t getting any of that right now. The Guardian of Fun looked unnaturally anxious, restlessly jumping up and down, passing his body weight from one foot to the other.

The boy looked around, absorbing the surrounding space. _He sure got a lot of work to do…_

But no problem, he could do it!

And on the bright side, maybe it was better that Tooth was nowhere to be seen. The surprise would be even bigger when she returned!

\- Yeah, I can do this! And it is going to be awesome! – he mumbled to himself, rubbing his hands, as if to get ready for the major task ahead. – Let’s do this!

Baby Tooth simply tilted her disproportionate head, her huge mismatching orbs blinking twice. The boy looked at her one last time, and grabbing his staff harder in his fist, he jumped out of the platform, only leaving behind a magical trail of ice and a laugh of pure joy.  

...

..

.

\- Do you understand now, my dear? – the fairy continued to caress his chocolate colored hair. – Believe me, Jack really wanted to come and see you, but I had to explain him, just as I did to you…

The boy just nodded, his head resting in the Guardian’s chest.

Some minutes ago, after she entered Jamie’s room, the Tooth Fairy had made him go to bed again, getting all motherly and saying that it was too cold for him to be out of his cozy sheets.

Then, after fixing his bedding, she had laid down next to him, and the boy, unable of holding it any longer, asked Toothiana, why is special friend never returned to see him.

In the wise fairy lips grew an amused smile, as if she was seeing before her eyes a unique memory that she somehow, related with the current situation.

\- You know, it’s curious. I’m experiencing kind of a _déjà vu_ feeling…

\- Hun? – young Jamie asked, tilting his head. And the iridescent fairy giggled, and cleared her throat, like she was preparing herself to tell a story. The boy adjusted himself too, giving the young woman all of his attention.

She then told him why Jack was not allowed to see him, or to let himself be seen by any other child. And why the same happened with all the other Guardians.

The boy listened curiously and open-minded, hearing everything the Queen had to say.

When the fairy finished, Jamie had already nestled up in her, his sleepy eyes long closed, about to fall in the peace of sleep and dreams.

Toothiana waited just a little longer, and when is breath shifted, becoming calm and paced, she carefully got up, laying his head on the pillow.

She looked at his sleepy expression one last time, and when he turned to the other side, facing his bedroom door, the fairy gave him a tender smile.

And with no longer delay, she went through the window, flying away to the freezing December air, silently leaving the sleepy town of Burgess.

Her mind was absent, so she didn’t see it coming. She didn’t feel the wind shift, changing the way it interfered with her flight, or how the temperature suddenly dropped and the blizzard became madly thicker.

Her thoughts were on someone else, which she feared might be with a hollow - or even worse - cold darkness in his heart…


	2. II

II

\- What can take so long? Why didn’t she return already? – this was starting to make him crazy!

The Winter Spirit paced from one side of the platform to the other, impatiently. Many minifairies had already come to him, offering anything he wished for, anything that would help calming him down.

But there was nothing they could do to make the only thing he wished for right now come true.  He could hardly wait for Tooth to see what he had prepared for her, but it looked like the Fairy Queen was testing his patience.

And while he was there, walking around, he missed how the atmosphere suddenly got … heavier, as if something terrible was about to happen.

He felt a slight breeze touch his face, and then he noticed.

In that whisper that only he could hear, he sensed a distant yell, like the wind was calling him, alerting the Winter Spirit that something was wrong.

He frowned, doing his best to listen to what his old friend was trying to say.

And then, making his heart stop mid-beat and start going into over cardiac all in the same second, a high winch pierced the air, reaching Jack’s acute ears, making his head hurt and every muscle in his body stiffen.

Every single minifairy in the palace seemed to suddenly fall in their stance, and Jack desperately tried to catch the ones closer to him. But right before any of them could hit the ground, they came to life again, wings beating strongly, and the cave was filled with the deafening chirping of thousands of minifairies discussing what had just succeed.

They all felt it, that sudden cold black out in their mind, abruptly losing their mental link with each other. They were unable of communicating as they used to, just by telepathy. Their only choice was to tweet to each other, what caused a maddening noise that was driving Jack absolutely crazy.

Recovering from the shock of thousands of minifairies helplessly falling towards the ground, the boy tried to cover his ears, shouting to the mass of beings hovering in the air.

\- B-baby Tooth! Baby Tooth, where are you?

It took a while, but suddenly, an overactive fairy was hovering just before his nose. The look in her eyes showed that she was frightened as well, and restlessly flew from one side to the other, Jack’s eyes almost unable of keeping up.

\- Please calm down and tell me what happened!

The fairy stopped for a second to think, and them quickly pointed to herself, opening her arms widely next. The boy tilted his head, trying to understand.

\- You... big... – he said slowly, and as the words left his lips, Jack jumped in the air, blue irises as wide as they could be. – Tooth!

...

..

.

A strange burning feeling was starting to spread itself through her rarely exposed skin, as the ice and snow managed to penetrate her body feathers, accumulating under them, biting cold hurting her sensitive skin.  The violently flying flakes gathered in her lashes, the strong wind forcing her eyes to remain firmly closed.

Clenching her teeth, the fairy brought her slim arm to her eyes, making it block some of the blizzard that insisted in collide with her face. Taking the opportunity, she peeked slightly through one eye, in order to orient herself in the middle of the ranging storm.

In her back, the wings would beat furiously, trying their best to pierce the violent snowstorm. But every meter she moved forward, the wind would push her back twice the distance. The Guardian was starting to grow tired, and in this constant battle, the wind was a strong opponent, not at all ready to give up.

The main problem was the snow that managed to cling to some parts of her wings, the one that wouldn’t be immediately brushed off by the constant flutter. Due to her high metabolism and high body temperature, it would melt and engulf the translucent blades, freezing right after with the unforgivable winds in the form of pure ice. And that frost was starting to reach a point of accretion that was simply too much for her to handle.

The Fairy Queen gasped when a sudden blow dragged her aggressively, and she fought to gain her balance again.

\- Oh Jack, if you are the one causing this, you’ll hear from me when I find you!

It was getting harder to flap her fragile winds, her cheeks completely white from the snow that continuously clung there. Well, she was sure that right now, all of her being was probably entirely white, bright feathers covered in gelid frost.

A part of her told her to give up, that there were certain limits, and that she was endangering herself and the children all over the world because of a lonely hellion. But then her heart beat strongly, spreading a warm wave that soothed all her pain and all her doubts.

\- He is a child too! And I ought to guarantee the happiness of every single child!

And with that, her wings flickered strongly, a new confidence propelling her in this arduous flight. Or at least, it was harder than anything she had experienced in the last few centuries.

But apparently, the wind had other plans for her. So with a strong blow, it tossed her light body downwards, obligated to take desperate measures with the stubborn little fairy.

So with a shocked scream, Toothiana was sent falling, faster than any body would naturally fall, the airstream giving gravity a little help.

And feeling like there was a vacuum inside her core, the Guardian of Memories immediately lost her conscience.

...

..

.

The Winter Spirit crossed the skies as fast as the wind could carry him. A part of him was surprised about the speeds he was reaching, as if the air currents were hurrying the boy, giving him an extra push. But his mind was mostly drowned in the thoughts of the female Guardian, and the worries to them associated.

The expectation he had been building in the last few hours and the impatience from there derived, were abruptly shattered by the minifairies blackout.

All this was absolutely too much stress for a carefree spirit to handle!

_Back there, on the palace, Jack almost took of flying instantly, if a sudden thought hadn’t strike his mind in that precise moment: he had no idea where the Tooth Fairy was._

_So he frantically turned back to Baby Tooth, pleading for more information._

_\- Do you know where she went? – the Winter Spirit inquired, earning only a sad no from the little fairy. But then, Toothiana’s most trusty copy seemed to enthuse, as if a light bulb had turned on in her head. She started chirping intensely, flying from one spot to the other, pointing at the Winter Spirit himself._

_Jack brought his hand up, gesturing for the fairy to calm down._

_\- W-wait! Baby Tooth! You know I can’t understand anything you say like that!_

_The said fairy huffed, frustrated, hovering quieter in front of the boy. Next, she started her signs again:_

_She pointed to herself and opened her arms again, their established sign for Tooth. Then she pointed to her disproportionate head, tapping twice with her small finger._

_\- Tooth... thought... – the boy began to mutter, trying to calm himself enough to play charades. But when the fairy’s small finger stretched in his direction the boy was taken aback. He blinked his eyes, eyebrows high under his white bangs._

_\- T-Tooth thought in... me? It was her last thought? – Baby Tooth nodded, smiling brightly, happy that the boy had understood._

_She lost no time, and continued gesturing. Extending her arm, she pointed to the blue sky outside the palace, the same sky Toothiana had flew into earlier that day. Then, with her two fingers open in a ‘V’ form, she pointed to both her eyes and then to the space around them. She finished with her finger stretched in Jacks direction, and the boy frowned._

_\- Are you saying that she went looking for me?_

_The fairy nodded avidly, clapping her tiny hands. Jack’s head turned to look at the sky outside the palace, still somewhat shocked that the fairy had too wished to share the Christmas Night with him._

_And the wind carried him away without second thoughts, but not before he had assured the minifairies could handle the Teeth Collecting on their own._

Now, crossing the skies with extreme swiftness, the boy urged himself towards the other side of the world, back to the darkness of the night, where an entire continent slept quietly. And getting closer to the snow-covered forests of Burgess, the Winter Spirit was shocked with the major blizzard that dwelt below.

 He dove towards the grey mass, where the wind played violently with snowflakes and ice. He knew _he_ was safe among them. But what about _her_...

...

..

.

Tooth woke up to a feeling of peace and quietness, her surroundings surprisingly cozy.

She blinked one of her violet irises open lazily. The fairy was amazed to verify that she could still move her facial muscles, as her entire body felt numb. To say the truth, she could say she had been totally anesthetized.

A soft groan left her lips, together with a puff of warm air, forming a thick cloud that immediately dissipated in the frigid air.

Looking around, Toothiana was surprised to see herself surrounded in white. But that didn’t seem to scare her, tough... She was too numb to worry about where she was at the moment. The important thing was that she was at peace.

A word came to her mind... _Heaven_... but she quickly dismissed it.

Focusing in something just ahead, Tooth resignedly opened both eyes.

There were dark pillars all around her, the ground uneven and colorless.

Her mind was suddenly filled with memories of something, something remarkably powerful pushing against her, hurting her wings, making her lose control. A feeling of emptiness in her guts. Then, darkness...

_Oh right, the storm..._

Then something inside her triggered the feeling of anxiety, and her muscles, as frozen as they were, seemed to stiffen.

_Maybe I really died!_

With rapid heartbeat, the fairy’s eyes absorbed her surroundings more avidly, trying to figure out where she was then.

She felt... cold. It was when she realized that the whiteness around her was snow, and the black columns a dark forest.

The female Guardian looked up, the treetops almost concealing the sky, still tumultuously revolving in a heavy blizzard.

How did she manage to survive the fall? It was impossible not to have hit any branch on her way down. And still, here she was, alive and unharmed. Well, the unharmed part was left to check... With her body insensitive like that, it was difficult to verify any further injury.

The thick layer of snow maybe prevented any damage from the impact. But that didn’t explain how she avoided the trees. Toothiana caught herself thinking that maybe the wind took care of her fall... but immediately shook her head at the silly thought.

She tried to move her arms. It was a strange feeling, seeing your limb right there in front of you and not being able to move it. Incredibly frustrating.

Tooth huffed, exasperated, gazing her tiny pale hand. Her previously cerulean feathers were covered in a white layer snow, camouflaging her with the soft ground below. Toothiana had never been so colorless. Even the blood had drained from her exposed skin, living a palely-ill tone.

Being exposed to so low temperatures wasn’t normal for her. She was born in the warm Asian Southeast, and even if her feathers protected her from the cold she might endure in her long nights, being literally engulfed in ice was too much for her organism to deal with.

Some snow was wonderful, a little bit of cold even refreshing. But she was half hummingbird, for the Moon’s sake. Even her human side wouldn’t survive this easily.

The energy was rapidly draining from her being, eyelids growing heavier by the second. The urge to sleep overwhelmed the Fairy Queen once more.

She knew she needed to hurry. Time was precious, so was her liveliness. Masked as she was, the fairy was aware that the guardians wouldn’t find her soon enough. But what could she do?

Toothiana thought, and thought, in some way of signaling her presence, when suddenly her eyes widened.

_No, no, forget it!_ I was too risky! She would probably get lost, or… she might even not be able of coming back!

But she couldn’t risk her body losing its last resources in a vain attempt of going back! Her half-bird form might not even survive the journey!

_This is the only way..._

So, with a last painful intake of breath, the Tooth Fairy focused on her core. Her body feathers began to ruffle, as if gaining a life of their one.

The fairy was only mildly aware of the risks she was taking, making a leap of faith as this one. The first and last time she had made this, it had been a terrifying experience…

And there would hardly be any life left. Just the amount necessary to keep her vital organs working for a while.

_A golden one_ , she thought, _that should call their attention_...

Suddenly, Toothiana released one last puffy breath, and her feathers stopped fluttering.

There, in the snow surrounding her fell one single golden feather, detached from the fairy’s chest.

The plume began to tremble, and a strange process began, one that the Tooth Fairy hadn’t done for a long time now.

There, in that petit feather, life grew. The last hope of her freezing mother...


	3. III

III

First there was this uncommon vacuum. Probably, there were few people on this Earth to have ever experienced it and remembered.

The sole feeling of _nothing_....

If you _could_ , indeed, feel anything, you would be absolutely terrified, by the emptiness filling everything around and within you. But truly everything! There wasn’t any left particle remained to be found. As I said before, there was nothing.

But that would be the case if you could only feel worry, or fear, or fright. But you couldn’t.

And in the blurred waters of your own mind, what was left of your conscience would absently ask:

_But if there’s nothing, how am I here? How can I be something if the only thing prevailing is the complete emptiness?_

And with that last though in mind, you would feel yourself and all your surroundings dissolve.

But dissolve into what, few might say. Well, what can _nothing_ dissolve into?

Either way, there’s too much peace for you to even worry about this or what your future beholds. Because, after all, there is no future, there is no past...

What is there to worry about, anyway? It is all an illusion.

Because in the end, you are one with the whole. And the whole is just a huge space of nothingness... isn’t it?

Is it?

...

A light so strong that appears to swallow you whole wakes you from your wandering slumber.

It seems as if your quiet emptiness of feelings was violently torn apart, and your drowsy conscience abruptly tossed back into a world of intense sensations and uneasiness.

You groan, unpleased. You want to get back there, back where it’s peaceful and calm.

Here it feels cold and alone.

_Cold and alone and scared..._

What... what was _scare_? There was no such thing back there.

_How much time has passed?_

Where did that came from? What means... _time_? What an unfamiliar concept. Well, it surely rang a bell somewhere in the back of her conscience. But still, far, as if from a previous life.

_Life..._

Two lilac eyes opened swiftly, brushing the soft snow aside.

Light white dancers came fluttering towards her, born in the tumultuous dark sky.

She absently thought of touching them, and was surprised when a tiny arm stretched from the cold ground at the unspoken order. Her head tilted in awe, feeling so strange to have something that she knew was part of her, apart from her conscience. It was dense and tangible, contrasting ever so deeply with the serene emptiness of before.

Another thing that got her attention was the cold feeling. _Feeling_ , what an interesting word...

But that bitter sensation seemed to disturb her tranquility, seemed to... bother. Her body responded to it, feeling the urge to get away from the unpleasant coolness. So she let her natural instinct take over, as her mind worried about other things. There was this order, echoing deeply within: _Remember_...

And that was the only thing she knew for sure, as muscles tensed, pulling up her torso. She needed to remember.

Her eyes drifted to the white ground around her, monitoring the hard task her limbs tried to fulfill: getting up. She frowned at the impracticality of her short legs, briefly wondering why would a creature depend on such fragile structures in order to assure its own locomotion. It was then that a slight tremble on her back called her attention.

 _Oh, much better!_ , and the crystal-looking wings begun fluttering rapidly. The motion of air propelled her body upwards, finally making her tiny feet leave the gelid floor.

She giggled, delighted at this recovered feeling of freedom that overflowed her. The laughter was high-pitched, ringing like tiny bells. She swirled in the cool air, happy with herself.

But suddenly, a gasp left her throat, and she flew backwards a little, hands flying to cover her mouth.

There, laid on the snowy floor below her, a lifeless body rested under the soft moonlight. The plumage that covered its form was torn messily, flakes of pure white bending into bright blues and iridescent greens. And even in this chaotic state, it was certain that it was a naturally beautiful creature.

But suddenly, as her eager irises took in the sickly pale skin and closed eyelids, something deep within her bubbled violently towards the surface. The face, the crown of feathers...

Everything quickly revealed before her eyes, the images of the fall, the massive force of the wind against her struggling self, the brutal storm, all replayed intensely in her overcrowded brain.

But something kept ringing there, above everything else. A mission, she truly needed to fulfill. And as if formed out of the colorful cloud of thoughts that drowned her mind, a figure became distinguishable. His cocky smile was long gone, foggy eyes staring at nothing in particular, staff loosely held in one pale fist.

 _Jack_...

Like a distant whisper, a name was immediately associated to the picture. And a voice within her stated that such sad expression should never be seen in this character that, curiously, made her tiny heart flutter.

Yes, we can say it is not the pure peace she previously was in, but it was a... warm feeling. The problem was, she noticed, that with that flutter she felt at the sight of him came also a certain anxiety, as a closer look revealed his unhappiness.

 _I shall end it!_ , she said confidently to herself.

But then she remembered the body next to her, and something suddenly was added to the cloudy mess of memories and gloomy boys. A word, which she believes, she had once held so dearly to: responsibility.

It was in that moment that she remembered the children, her duty as a Guardian, and everything else her small form carried on her shoulders. And as if a real weight had suddenly been put on her back, her petit form sunk slightly in her hovering position.

It looked like all the tiredness she felt in her other body, was suddenly transferred to this smaller self.

Toothiana sighed, missing already the serene lightness of a blank page. The possibilities she had ahead in the moment she woke up, before the burden from her original life was brought back.

 _So many memories end up becoming rather heavy...,_ the Tooth Fairy sadly realized. She missed the freedom of Nothing. The freedom of _not_ having responsibilities.

And in that exact moment, Toothiana understood with every particle of her being what Jack had felt when he was first invited to join the Guardians. Who would want to leave his own freedom like that?

But that was what made them Guardians! The fact that they devoted their own eternal existence towards the happiness of others!

And it was then, that the Tooth Fairy remembered the nobility of such choice. It was in that stormy Christmas Night, in that snowy spot, with her lifeless body right next to her, that Toothiana renewed the oath she had once made to the Moon, a long, _long_ time ago.

So staring deeply at the World’s Watcher that smiled brightly in the dark sky, closer than he had ever been in a long time, the little fairy nodded. And with a confident frown settled in her face, she darted away, back to the stormy blizzard.

Children needed her, needed their memories, so that the unhappiness in their lives won’t prevail.

\- Because I shall end it!

...

..

.

_What a mess..._

It was the only thing the Winter Spirit managed to think of. He could barely blink his eyes, too much wind and too much ice uncontrollably swirling around at crazy speeds.

He scrunched his darker eyebrows, locks of virgin white hair whipping against his forehead.

So much chaos was starting to get on his nerves.

He swiftly extended his arm against the storm, the sound of the long staff cutting through the air.

\- THAT’S ENOUGH! – the boy roared, authoritarian, frown still on his face, and, in his voice, not a single trace of amusement.

The Northern Wind immediately died away, surprised by the sudden order. Small bewildered snowflakes leisurely fell towards the ground, pacified that once again, only serene gravity held power over them.

The violent current transformed into a soft breeze. Normally, Jack would come and play with it, entirely ignoring the fuss that both of them might be causing down below.

But right now, the boy’s anger, however, continued to flare in his eyes, causing the wood which he clenched so strongly, to completely freeze over.

\- What have you done to her? – he simply growled. There was no time for politeness.

The air current bent around him, submissive under so strong determination. Had never the carefree Wind seen such anger and worry within his friend’s core. An unknown fear devoured the Guardian’s youthful self, leaving him lost in this overwhelming distress.

The older companion felt the urge to end such suffering, but right when Jack though he would lead him to her, the Wind simply vanished.

The boy’s heartbeat increased, at the shock of such a sudden absence all-around him. He was always used of having the Wind enveloping his slim form. And now here he stayed, hovering in mid-air. He could well have been hovering in the outer space, he would not have been able of telling the difference.

The Winter Spirit blinked twice at the empty night before him. Then his insides were filled again with that consuming, anxious fury.

\- Oh, you must be kidding me! First you push me all the way up here, as if it was a major emergency, and in case you haven’t noticed: IT IS! – he shouted, his angry breathes coming out of his lungs in turbulent vapor clouds. – And then you simply... puff... disappear!

Ending the burst out, he waited, hoping that the wind would see how serious the Guardian of Fun was being right now; how serious the _situation_ was!

At the lack of answer, he tightened his fists, arms firmly set on each side of him, and stumped and angry foot against the non-existing floor. Just like a grumpy child.

\- This is NOT time for jokes! – he yelled, starting to fall in despair. – Tooth’s in danger! Now, tell me where she is!

His irises swept the cold December air, trying to spot any flutter in the curtains of snow-flakes that peacefully fell all around him. Longing for the slightest sign, for the slightest proof that his oldest friend hadn’t abandoned him in this time of need.

\- Please... – the boy begged, defeated.

He lowered his head, hidden in the emptiness of the night by the heavy snow-fall.

It would be _impossible_ to find Tooth all by himself, in the immensity of the forest, _and_ at nighttime.

Only the Moon could help him now. But the Moon, well, it seems that his prayers never fly high enough to be heard...

The massive worry that flooded both his heart and mind, making them heavy and confused, was preventing him from thinking properly.

\- What am I going to do... – Jack only whispered, now truly, in every meaning of the word, completely _lost_.

And just before all his hopes could simply die away, like a fragile flame in the sigh of the passing wind, his ears caught a sound.

Yes, something definitively disturbed the vastness of silence surrounding him: a familiar buzz that instantly made his heart swell up from relief and happiness.

He desperately flew towards the humming figure that came closer by the second. His body easily cut through the air, soft flakes clutching to his clothes and lashes. Jack continued speeding blindly through the darkness, the approaching flutter of wings as his only guiding.

A huge smile started to form on his thin lips.

He could not wait to hold her feathery form safely against his own chest, not ever going to let her go again.

Who cares about the Teeth Collecting or the snow-days? What were their duties as Guardians compared to the agonizing worry he presently felt? Right now, the only thing the boy was certain of was that he wouldn’t pass through such a nerve-racking situation in a near future. And that meant keeping the foolish fairy tight in his arms.

Oh, she was going to hear from him, for putting herself in such a dangerous situation so stupidly. What was she thinking about, coming to look for him in the middle of a blizzard? He wasn’t worth the effort!

The thought of holding her dearly was interrupted when he suddenly saw her, between the heavy snow-fall, flying hurriedly.

But... not in his direction, though.

Jack frowned, and quickly went to meet her, the fairy probably too disoriented to even notice him.

\- Tooth! – he shouted happily, and the silhouette turned to face him. – Oh, I was so worri-

But he couldn’t finish whatever he was going to say, as something suddenly hit his face in mid-flight.

Apparently the fairy was closer than what it seemed.

He rapidly recovered from the surprise.

But it was then that he noticed something warm clinging to his face. And his face only...

And before he could start to wonder what in the Moon that was, a high chirp abruptly pierced the quiet night.

...

..

.

The boy carefully grasped whatever was holding dearly onto his face, simultaneously landing with both feet on a snow-covered branch. Well, in a way he already knew what it was, or he wouldn’t have removed it ‘carefully’...

Jack then opened his milky palm, right in front of his face, where an agitated minifairy jumped up and down, twittering madly.

She had an enchanted smile on her face, as if finding him was the best thing that could have ever happened to her. It was only then that the boy realized that she had been hugging desperately to his cheek, and the light stings he felt, was she kissing him repeatedly.

His thoughts were interrupted, as suddenly his dilated pupils caught a golden reflex in the peeking moonlight, which seemed to wish witnessing the unfold of events.

He blinked, a confused frown settling on his face.

\- Baby Tooth? – he whispered. But just as fast, he started inquiring the anxious minifairy, chiding her for having followed the worried spirit towards the blizzard without any permission. – Didn’t we agree that you would stay managing things back in the Palace?

But, to the boy’s surprise, the minifairy kept shaking her head, mouthing ‘no’.

Then suddenly, she tried to fly away, but her eyes were always set on the boy, expectantly. But thanks to his quick reflexes, his huge palms enveloped her tiny form again.

\- Wow, wait a second, girl! – he eased, gently stroking her head feather. Then his voice lowered, coming to a tone of calm comprehension. – You’re saying you are _not_ BT?

Enthusiastic nods.

\- So... who are you? I’ve never seen another golden head-feather minifairy flying around! – the boy eagerly inquired, his innate curiosity making him forget all the previous drama.

The minifairy - that restlessly started to hover again, seeming to have some urgent place to go to - landed back on his hand and huffed, frustrated.

The Ice Prince saw her bit her lip, as she thought, and then slide a tiny hand over her golden head-feather, absently trying to fix it.

Jack’s eyes widened immensely, immediately recognizing the gesture.

\- T... Tooth? – he whispered, bringing the fairy close to his eyes.

Her head turned swiftly at the name, immediately facing him, and then he saw it: huge lilac eyes staring right at him, surprised.

\- It is you... – he muttered, much more shocked than she could ever be for him to be able of distinguish her within millions of similar minifairies.

The now tiny Guardian smiled brightly, and on impulse of pure happiness, she jumped forward, hugging his nose tightly.

The boy chuckled, and soon she quietly sat back on his hand. However, his eyebrows scrunched again, confused.

\- How did you end like this?

And her eyes only widened in response, as if she swiftly remembered something really important. In the next second, her light weight had abandoned his palm, floating on the cold winter air before him.

The boy looked at her, inquisitive, and rapidly got up from the branch, when the fairy’s little hand signaled for him to follow.

She was right, it would be easier for her to explain latter, when she was back to her body. When she was back to being her special self in a bigger size. And that would happen soon. He hoped so...


	4. IV

IV

Toothiana swiftly flew through the night, the winter air unable of pushing against her tiny form. She darted so fast she had to remember herself at times that the following Ice Prince might lose sight of her. But every time she looked back, just to check on him, he seemed to keep the pace.

A focused frown had settled itself on his features, eyes darting around, though he knew his best hopes were following Tooth herself.

The gelid Wind had returned, and as if attempting to give a hand, it blew a strong breeze from behind, propelling both Guardians faster towards their destination.

When the fairy first flew away, looking for help, she huffed at the still active violent blizzard. And thought her new form slid much better through the ever standing current, the difficulty of flight itself remained.

She had to get out of there, and find some help. Her best hopes were Bunny, as he was the only traceable Guardian right now, and the quickest to recover. However, he was in his Warren, on the other side of the globe.

Still, she had to try.

And the wind howled, the snow swirled and ice continued whipping aggressively against her face.

But then, everything suddenly stopped, and Tooth felt as if she was back in the Nothing place.

Warily looking around, she saw snowflakes quietly falling, and all the maddening noise of the screaming storm was immediately replaced by pure silence.

She blinked, incredulous towards the miracle that suddenly happened before her eyes. The assistance given by this turn of events lightened the warmth of hope inside her.

_Oh, thanks to the Moon!_

And she dashes hurriedly, as she can’t wait to get off this heavy mantle of clouds that covered the forest.

But her actions were quickly interrupted, as a calling echoed in the silent night, through the heavy snowfall.

\- Tooth!

And she immediately recognizes the excited tone, her head turning to the origin of the sound, eyes looking for him in the dark.

Then, she sees him, flying towards her, and her heart seemed as if it was going to explode from relief.

He was there, it really was him, and there were no words to describe what she felt as she darted in his direction.

 _The timing is perfect, as usual!_ , she laughed more to herself, flying eagerly, her wings seeming unable to complete the distance between the pair fast enough.

He started speaking again, but the fairy couldn’t care less. With her heart trying to keep up with the change of emotions, she jumped the remaining distance.

Immediately, the coolness of his nose impregnated her tiny form, passing through her plumage with such easiness that she wondered why didn’t the wind itself was able of such effect.

However, this cold feeling wasn’t bitter, like the snow and the icy winds. It was, in fact... soothing. Like a balm to all her worries.

And as a familiar warmth spread itself through her entire body, her relief came out of her lungs in the form off a relieved sight:

\- Jack!

And the little Guardian couldn’t be more surprised when, instead with her exclamation, a high squeak was heard.

...

..

.

Communication proved to be difficult between the two, but the pair had quickly surpassed it. Thanks to Jack’s wits and Tooth experience with Sandy, it was not that hard for her to pass a message in a way of gestures and charades.

But what had surprised the chilly fairy the most was the boy’s sudden accomplishment of the truth about her identity.

Toothiana thought it would be hard to explain it to him, and that to clarify that she was not just another fairy would certainly be a struggle. So, she would simply guide him and things ought to be explained later, when they were all safe.

But when her name suddenly was sounded in his hoarse voice, the shrunken Guardian of Memories could only stare at him in disbelief, shocked and stunned, as his own blue irises came closer.

Her tiny heart couldn’t help but thump madly, flustered and quizzical about how in the Moon had the boy recognized her.

Did he know her _that_ well?

A smile unconsciously started tugging the corners of her mouth, brightening her features with a lovely smile.

Her heart took over, and before she could take notice soon her tiny form was hugging dearly the Winter Spirit. She felt like her petit body was about to explode from the sudden wave of affection towards the boy, that had swiftly filled every particle of her being.

The joyful chuckle that shook his chest and body, made her let go of him, only to calmly sit down on his palm again, adoring smile still playing in her features.

But when the boy’s brow scrunched suddenly, that delighted twinkle in his eyes changing to a look of confusion, Toothiana wearily prepared for the next few words.

\- How did you end like this?

And it was like that beautiful moment in time was abruptly shattered, and the duo violently tossed back to the ugly reality.

She felt her eyes widening and in the next second, the fairy was eagerly hovering in the frigid air, hoping that the boy would quickly follow her.

Toothiana had forgot her present condition, had forgot that she _didn’t_ have time.

And the Guardian of Memories, as she had understood before, was never allowed to forget.

...

..

.

It was like everything operating inside him had suddenly stopped. As if the boy was left with nothing but cold, and his mind, too shaken to face the sight before him (that image that would be forever marked in his immortal soul), had silently retrieved to quieter places of his conscience.

But his eyes were left open, the order to close them long forgotten, doomed to let the scenery ahead sink deeply in his memory.

There, laid in his own perfect creation, stood Tooth’s lifeless body.

It almost passed unnoticed, the colorful feathers covered in ice and snow. Just the tiny arm of the mini fairy told Jack where the form was.

And only when he squinted his eyes, titling his head as he cautiously stepped closer, did the boy saw the misaligned plumage that fluttered slightly in the wind.

It was like someone had just punched him in the guts and a painful gasp left his throat, as his knees seemed to quiver and his irises remained wide in horror.

And never in his immortal life had his heart ached so much.

He surely had endured many difficult times, with a lot of rage, and sadness, and loneliness.

However, Jack Frost had never experienced such a primal pain in his core, as if his heart was about to succumb before such excruciating pressure.

And the terror of the vision, the mere thought of her being gone, was so irrationally powerful, that he seemed oblivious to her smaller self hovering right there besides him.

But slowly, as if wakening him up from a nightmare, high squeaks and tweets were heard. Then the boy’s conscience, forced to return, gave life back to his shocked body, as much as it might hurt facing the truth.

There was a tugging, something that desperately pulled his sleeves and bangs, and the Guardian blinked the daze out of his eyes, shaking his head.

His crystal blue irises focused on the anxious fairy that restlessly hovered around him, trying to get a reaction from his frozen form.

Her eyes, colored in violet and worry, stared deeply at him, calling the stunned boy back to reality.

She needed him focused and with his head clear.

So, with her look of concern morphing into a concentrated frown, Toothiana pointed her arm to the lifeless body, and awaiting just the slightest for an answer, she earned from the Winter Spirit a serious nod.

Jack advanced towards the snow-covered form with the most confident steps he could manage, after he recovered from the rush of emotions.

And though the focused frown didn’t leave his face until he came near her, his knees couldn’t help but succumb under the weight of so much stress. He had to get a grip on himself and control his hands, so they wouldn’t shake madly or desperately held her fragile frozen form against his chest, risking breaking her in some way.

So, it was with almost steady hands, that he carefully brushed the soft snow out of her perfect face.

\- I’m sorry Tooth... – he whispered weakly, and if it wasn’t for the tiredness that overpowered him, the boy would have jolted at the sudden warm hand that comfortingly caressed his cheek.

His eyes focused on the hovering fairy who displayed a tender smile on her face, gently shaking her head, dismissing the boy of any guilt he might feel.

_It wasn’t, it could never be, his fault..._

So with a sight, the boy’s mouth corners turned up a bit, and he stated surely:

\- I will make you good again, Toothiana.

And it was like the fairy shivered slightly when he used her full name.

– I promise.

The Guardian of Memories gasped softly, and then nodded, smiling at the Winter Spirit.

But then the pair focused again, turning their attention to the problem ahead.

...

..

.

\- You are gelid! – the boy hissed, as his palm touched the fairy’s partially buried form. She was cooler than he was, and that was certainly not a good sign.

Jack turned his head, staring at the smaller Tooth that rested on his shoulder. There wasn’t much hand-work she could do to help them, so it was better for her to save her strengths for what might come, as the Guardian of Fun had earlier stated.

\- Can your body endure such low temperatures? – he inquired with a worried tone. But the fairy simply bit her lower lip and shrugged her shoulders.

 _Probably_...

\- We need to warm you up... – he whispered, as he started digging up her body with his bare hands, pushing the piles of snow aside.

Toothiana left his shoulder, flying down to the snow-covered floor, with her tiny hands brushing carefully the snow and ice out of her face and out of her wings.

Then, having removed almost all the snow that laid over her form, Jack hesitantly stared at the smaller fairy. His mouth hung open as if he didn’t know what to say.

Toothiana titled her head, wondering why wasn’t the boy taking her body. They didn’t have much time...

And, as if reading her thoughts, the Guardian muttered, not once his irises leaving the puzzled fairy.

\- I... I might break you...

The fairy’s eyes on the other hand, widened in astonishment. But then she crossed her arms close to her chest and tweeted angrily.

_She was not that fragile!_

And the boy chuckled slightly at her reaction, before her features morphed into a tender smile. Toothiana quickly flew up to the Jack’s face, and although with frozen hands from melting the ice and snow, she immediately hugged his cheek.

But then, she let go and her face became serious again, as she pointed her arm to her body and squeaked.

\- Okay, okay... – he mumbled, and cautiously advanced, putting his arms under her lifeless form.

And as he lifted her up, soft snow showering around her, he couldn’t help but remember how bad she felt, cold like this, comparing to when she was merely asleep, that other time he had held her in his arms.

\- We need to warm you up. – Jack simply stated, and his eyes lifted to the hovering little Tooth before him.

Her eyes wandered, as she thought were could they go. The boy’s mind travelled through the same paths, as he dismissed places: The Palace was too far, as well as for any other Guardian refuge. They couldn’t just bother Jamie on Christmas day; it was too late to wake any child at all. Well, Pitch’s lair was near. They might just knock on the door, he surely would be glad to see them, the Winter Spirit thought ironically.

No, he couldn’t risk Tooth’s safety like that, even in an emergency.

But then something struck him. How hadn’t he remembered that before?

\- Come on, Tooth! – he exclaimed excitedly, motioning for the freezing fairy to nestle herself in the crook of his neck. – I know where we can go.

And the Wind swooped them up, careful not to make it a bumpy ride, as it seemed to know the precious cargo his friend carried lovingly on his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review!! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Please review! :)


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